The great sufi saint of Sialkot, Imam Ali-ul-Haq, better known as Imam Sahib, lived here during the 13th century AD, during the reign of Feroz Shah Tughlaq (of the Tughlaq Dynasty). He is reputed to have converted a majority of the local population to Islam. Another renowned scholar of Sialkot was Mullah Abdul Hakim who is known in the Middle East as Fazil Lahori. The Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, had him weighed in gold once and in silver twice. He is buried in Sialkot near the old Power House (Bijli Ghar).
Sialkot is the birthplace of the Muslim philosopher, scholar and poet, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, as well as the famous Urdu poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
One of the founding fathers of the Islamic Rupublic of Pakistan, Chaudhry Naseer Ahmad Malhi, also hailed from an area near this city. It was due to his association with the city that the famous Sialkot Convention was held here.
Another prominent figure from Sialkot was the eminent philosopher Professor William Lilly who taught at the Murray College, Sialkot and spent most of his working life there. His book on ethics remains a classic. Professor William Lilly and Dr. Muhammad Iqbal used to act as examiners in philosophy for Punjab University. The famous Indian journalist, Kuldip Nayyar, is the son of Dr. Gurbakhsh Singh who was from Sialkot and used to practice medicine in the city’s Trunk Bazar. The famous Indian politician, Gulzari Lal Nanda, also came from Sialkot. The first foreign minister of Pakistan and a world-famous jurist, Chaudhry Zafarullah Khan, belonged to tehsil Daska, Sialkot.
Dr. Qamar Tabish (1930 - 2001), a multi-dimensional personality, better known as a physician, mystic poet, scholar and painter who contributed a lot to the Urdu and the Persian poetry, religion and painting hailed from Sialkot. He is also remembered as a great devotee of Mohammad (peace be upon him) - the Prophet of Islam.
Another welknown "Sufi" Headmaster Master Inayat Ullah Choudhary(1905-1974) migrated from Lyallpur (Khushab) and settled in Sialkot after marrying a local Religious leader's daughter during 1921. He took part in Pakistan moment and was one of close friend of Khawaja Safdar an other famouse sons of Sialkot nodoubt,services of these few dediated sons of Sialkot for Pakistan moment are unforgetable.
In 1930, the tehsils of Rayya Daska and Pasrur were split up and parts of these were amalgamated in the Gujranwala district. In 1859, Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Sialkot were placed in the new division of Sialkot. But in 1884, Gurdaspur along with Amritsar again became a part of the Lahore division.
In 1991, the tehsils of Narowal and Shakar Garh (which was tehsil Shankar Garh in district Gurdaspur before partition) were split up and formed into a new district of Narowal.
During the Second Kashmir War in 1965, the Lahore-Sialkot region was attacked by the Indian Army which, despite overwhelming numerical superiority managed only to capture some outlying areas in the sector. The people of Sialkot came out in full force to support the troops of the Pakistan Army to repel the invasion by India. In fact, the armoured battles in the Sialkot sector (especially, the Battle of Chawinda), in 1965, were the most intense since the Second World War. In 1966, the Government of Pakistan awarded 'Hilal-e-Istiqlal' to the citizens of Sialkot, Lahore and Sargodha for their courage and bravery during the 1965 war between Pakistan and India.
Again, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the region witnessed bitter battles, most importantly, the Battle of Basantar in the Sialkot-Shakar Garh area. The major Indian counter-offensive came in this area where, two Pakistani tank regiments, equipped with obsolete Patton tanks, confronted the Indian First Armoured Corps, which was equipped with the then more modern British Centurion tanks. Again, the Pakistan Army and the people of Sialkot earned a mark for their valor in defending against such numerical odds.
The Sialkot Dry Port was set up in Sambrial (home-town of Dr. Muhammad Iqabl's mother) between 1985 and 1986.
Sialkot is the birthplace of the Muslim philosopher, scholar and poet, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, as well as the famous Urdu poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
One of the founding fathers of the Islamic Rupublic of Pakistan, Chaudhry Naseer Ahmad Malhi, also hailed from an area near this city. It was due to his association with the city that the famous Sialkot Convention was held here.
Another prominent figure from Sialkot was the eminent philosopher Professor William Lilly who taught at the Murray College, Sialkot and spent most of his working life there. His book on ethics remains a classic. Professor William Lilly and Dr. Muhammad Iqbal used to act as examiners in philosophy for Punjab University. The famous Indian journalist, Kuldip Nayyar, is the son of Dr. Gurbakhsh Singh who was from Sialkot and used to practice medicine in the city’s Trunk Bazar. The famous Indian politician, Gulzari Lal Nanda, also came from Sialkot. The first foreign minister of Pakistan and a world-famous jurist, Chaudhry Zafarullah Khan, belonged to tehsil Daska, Sialkot.
Dr. Qamar Tabish (1930 - 2001), a multi-dimensional personality, better known as a physician, mystic poet, scholar and painter who contributed a lot to the Urdu and the Persian poetry, religion and painting hailed from Sialkot. He is also remembered as a great devotee of Mohammad (peace be upon him) - the Prophet of Islam.
Another welknown "Sufi" Headmaster Master Inayat Ullah Choudhary(1905-1974) migrated from Lyallpur (Khushab) and settled in Sialkot after marrying a local Religious leader's daughter during 1921. He took part in Pakistan moment and was one of close friend of Khawaja Safdar an other famouse sons of Sialkot nodoubt,services of these few dediated sons of Sialkot for Pakistan moment are unforgetable.
In 1930, the tehsils of Rayya Daska and Pasrur were split up and parts of these were amalgamated in the Gujranwala district. In 1859, Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Sialkot were placed in the new division of Sialkot. But in 1884, Gurdaspur along with Amritsar again became a part of the Lahore division.
In 1991, the tehsils of Narowal and Shakar Garh (which was tehsil Shankar Garh in district Gurdaspur before partition) were split up and formed into a new district of Narowal.
During the Second Kashmir War in 1965, the Lahore-Sialkot region was attacked by the Indian Army which, despite overwhelming numerical superiority managed only to capture some outlying areas in the sector. The people of Sialkot came out in full force to support the troops of the Pakistan Army to repel the invasion by India. In fact, the armoured battles in the Sialkot sector (especially, the Battle of Chawinda), in 1965, were the most intense since the Second World War. In 1966, the Government of Pakistan awarded 'Hilal-e-Istiqlal' to the citizens of Sialkot, Lahore and Sargodha for their courage and bravery during the 1965 war between Pakistan and India.
Again, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the region witnessed bitter battles, most importantly, the Battle of Basantar in the Sialkot-Shakar Garh area. The major Indian counter-offensive came in this area where, two Pakistani tank regiments, equipped with obsolete Patton tanks, confronted the Indian First Armoured Corps, which was equipped with the then more modern British Centurion tanks. Again, the Pakistan Army and the people of Sialkot earned a mark for their valor in defending against such numerical odds.
The Sialkot Dry Port was set up in Sambrial (home-town of Dr. Muhammad Iqabl's mother) between 1985 and 1986.
